- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Donovan Pagon of Robert Samuels XI found short of his ground during Jamaica's second practice match at Kensington Oval yesterday. Wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert looks on.
Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
BOWLERS continued to flourish in unfriendly batting conditions as the third day of Jamaica's second practice match in preparation for the 2003 regional season ended at Kensington Park yesterday.
Batting a second time, Robert Samuels' XI closed yesterday's penultimate day at 133 for five, this 165 runs ahead of Frankyln Rose's XI who were dismissed for 177 in their first innings.
Scores entering today's final day's play, Samuels' XI 209 and 133 for five; Rose's XI 177.
Senior selector Lindel Wright said he was still not pleased with the level of productivity from the batsmen.
"We saw players getting into the 50s, 40s and 30s, but still they are not moving on to the magical figure (100)," said, Wright, who is also the team manager.
"It is of concern to us (selectors), but we hope that within the next two games (eight innings) people will come to the realisation that batting means production, it means scoring heavily and scoring centuries."
Resuming at 124 for five, Rose's XI lost Tamar Lambert 29, Rose 16, Dwight Washington eight, and Nicarlo McFarlane two, leaving Phillip Keating unbeaten on four. Leg-spinner Odean Brown snared four for 47 from 14 overs and pacer Audley Sanson ended with three for 23 and Lorenzo Ingram (2-17).
In their second innings, Samuels' XI suffered an immediate setback when they lost Xavier Marshall who continued to find the going rough. The leading Jamaica batsman in the recently West Indies Under-19 cricket tournament played one back straight to pacer Washington, fresh out of the fast bowling clinic in Antigua.
Leon Garrick 34 and Donovan Pagon, 38, then featured in a 70-run second wicket stand which provided the platform for Samuels' XI innings. However, both batsmen felt with the score on 81. Pagon's 80-ball knock included three fours and a six while Garrick struck two fours in his 73-ball knock.
Despite batting for 74 deliveries, skipper Samuels was only able to contribute nine before he provided left-arm leg-spinner Keating, who tormented the batsmen with his first of two wickets. Keating, a former Jamaica youth player also captured the wicket of Carlton Baugh Jr. (two) to end with good figures of two for six off 12 overs.
The only batsman to carry the fight to Keating, Ryan Cunningham (1-36 off 17 overs) and Washington (1-11) was unbeaten Maurice Kepple. The Kensington middle order batsman has so far faced 121 balls for his 36, and with Matthew Sinclair, two, will be looking to build a competitive score when plays begin this morning at 10:00.
Wright said the pitches used for the two matches so far may not be the best to bat on, but the players need to adapt themselves to conditions like these.
"In first class games you can get many different types of pitches, bouncing pitches, flat pitches and low pitches," he explained.
"They need to understand that more application is needed. This is not about playing strokes aimlessly especially on pitches that are playing low," Wright, a former Jamaica off-spinner said.
